After blowing off Lauer and the “Today” gang last Wednesday, when she was scheduled to appear to apologize for racially charged comments, Deen has promised to turn up for her first TV chat since the scandal broke.

“This is her make-or-break moment,” says an NBC insider. “This can destroy the legacy she spent so many years creating, or she can rise and put the past behind her. America loves to forgive, and if she speaks from the heart the producers will be happy.”

Deen admitted to using the “N” word in a deposition taken May 17 after former employee Lisa Jackson sued her for $1.2 million, charging discrimination.